UNW Brochure en Webversion

7/24/2019 UNW Brochure en Webversion

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UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related

issues. It was formally established in 2003 building on a long history of collaboration in the UN family.

It currently counts 30 UN Members and 25 other international Partners.

A coherent, coordinated approach is clearly required as these issues represent some of the most urgent

development challenges of our time. We must manage freshwater sustainably so that everyone has

enough water to drink and stays clean and healthy; food producers have enough water to satisfy the

demands of growing populations; industries have enough water to meet their needs; and communities

have opportunities to secure a reliable supply of energy. In addition, as our world changes, we need to

adapt to changes in the availability of freshwater and prepare ourselves for for increased changes in

weather patterns and an increase in both the number and severity of water-related disasters. All of these

iissues must be addressed in ways that safeguard the health of our environment and protect ecosytems.

These issues are interconnected. The United Nations recognizes that it needs to mobilize its resources in

an efficient and integrated manner to tackle these global water challenges and meet the ambitiousdevelopment and environment targets set by the international community. UN-Water was created in

response to this need.

This is UN-Water

www.unwater.org

A Guide to


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World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing

attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable

management and use of our freshwater resources. Every year, the campaign

addresses a different theme related to water - water scarcity, water quality,

urbanization, food security, etc - and is coordinated by the most relevantUN-Water member. Since its creation in 1993 the campaign has involved

hundreds of thousounds of people worldwide.

UN-Water World Water Day campaign

Providing information, policy briefs and other communication materials for

policy-makers and managers who work directly with water issues, other

decision-makers that have an influence on how water is used and the general public.

Building the knowledge base on water issues through efficient monitoring and

reporting systems and facilitating easy access to this knowledge through regular

reports and the Internet.

Providing a platform for system-wide discussions to identify challenges in global

water management, analyse options for meeting these challenges and ensuring that

reliable information and sound analysis informs the global policy debate on water.

UN-Water, an inter-agency mechanism, formally established in 2003 by the United Nations High Level Committee on Programmes has

evolved out of a history of close collaboration among UN agencies. It was created to add value to UN initiatives by fostering greater

co-operation and information-sharing among existing UN agencies and outside partners. UN-Water focuses on:

www.unwater.org

UN-Water Reporting

One of UN-Waters key responsibilities is to monitor and report on the progress being made toward reaching

internationally agreed upon water and sanitation targets, with particular focus on the targets set by the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

World Water Development Report (WWDR)

The triennial World Water Development Report (WWDR) provides a global strategic outlook on the

state of freshwater resources, trends in use of the resource in the various sectors (inter alia,

agriculture, industry, energy) and management options in different settings and situations (inter

alia, in the context of urbanization, natural disasters, and impacts of global climate change).

Coordinated by the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), the development of the WWDR

is a joint effort of the 29 UN agencies and entities that make up UN-Water and is carried out in

collaboration with UN-Water partners, governments, international organizations,

non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.

The World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund

(UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation reportsThe JMP reports assess the progress being made toward reaching the MDG water and sanitation

targets. JMP produces drinking water and sanitation coverage reports biennially as well as reports

on specific aspects of drinking-water and sanitation. The reports utilize data principally from

nationally-representative household surveys and censuses and provide an overview of populations

using different forms of drinking-water and sanitation.

How UN-Water Operates

UN-Water: Strengthening the UN System

The Global Analysis and Assessment on Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS)The Global Analysis and Assessment on Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) reports on the capacity of countries to make progress towards

the MDG water and sanitation targets and on the effectiveness of external support agencies to facilitate this process. UN-Water GLAAS has been

designed in response to the need to reduce the reporting burden and harmonize different reporting mechanisms of UN Member States. The

UN-Water GLAAS initiative is coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).


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UN-Water Governance

As UN-Water is not an implementing body, its specific activities

and programmes are hosted by the individual member agencies

on behalf of UN-Water. Senior programme managers from

UN-Water member agencies meet twice a year. An elected Chair

and a Vice Chair, rotating among UN agencies usually every two

years, represent UN-Water at international conferences, major

fora and processes, and oversee the implementation of the

work programme. The Secretary is provided by the UnitedNations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

in New York, while a Technical Advisory Unit provides adminis-

trative, technical and logistical support. UN-Water has close

collaboration with the UN Secretary-Generals Advisory Board

on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), also a partner to UN-Water.

UN-Water members are from the UN System while partners

represent civil society and non-governmental organizations.

While the coordination function of UN-Water is supported

through internal resources provided by UN-Water members,

activities are supported through donors trust funds. However, it

is the members and partners who take part in various activities

implemented primarily through long-standing thematic priority

areas, time-bound task forces, and UN-Water programmes that

represent the primary 'capital' of UN-Water.

UN-Water Thematic Priority Areas, Task Forces and ProgrammesMuch of UN-Water activities are carried out through long-term thematic priority areas and time-bound task forces

established to focus on specific areas of interest or emerging issues. UN-Water also has four specific programmes, each

with its own work plan, budget and an executing agency coordinating the implementation.

UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC)The mission of UNW-DPC is to enhance the coherence, credibility and effectiveness of UN-Water by

strengthening its capacity development programmes. UNW-DPC focuses it activities on developing

countries and economies in transition. UNW-DPC was established in August 2007 and is hosted by the

United Nations University (UNU) at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany.

The UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)Using information and outputs generated by UN-Water members and partners, UNW-DPAC develops

communication campaigns illustrating the benefits of sound water management for povertyreduction and advocates for actions to implement effective water policies. Launched in October 2007,

UNW-DPAC is implemented by the United Nations Office to support the International Decade for

Action Water for Life 2005-2015 (UNO-IDfA). It is hosted by UNDESA and located in Saragossa, Spain.

Thematic Priority Areas and Task ForcesUN-Water thematic priority areas include climate change, transboundary waters, water quality and

water supply and sanitation. Task forces address country level coordination, regional level

coordination, wastewater management and water resources management.

The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)WWAP synthesizes data and information gathered from UN-Water members and other prominent

stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, universities, research centers and countries.

It presents its findings through the triennial World Water Development Reports. The Programme

examines the nature of water crises around the world and reviews countries' ability to deal with

them. It aims to enhance assessment capacity at a national level; informs the decision-making process

by indicating how well water policies and management strategies are working; and suggests

indicators that are needed to monitor progress. WWAP is hosted by UNESCO in its Programme Office

on Global Water Assessment in Perugia, Italy.

The WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP)

The JMP, which operates under the aegis of UN-Water, is an autonomous programme implemented and supervised by WHO and UNICEF.

Established in 1990, the JMP continues monitoring activities that WHO has been undertaking since the 1960s. It is the official mechanism of the

UN System mandated to monitor global progress towards the MDGs targets for drinking water and sanitation. The JMPs regular global reports

on water and sanitation coverage facilitate sector planning and management. By supporting countries efforts to monitor this sector, the JMP

contributes to better planning and management at the national level.


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UN-Water at a Glance

UN-Water has a mandate to promote the effective exchange of information, facilitating mutual support between global

and regional activities and developments, and encouraging regional inter-agency networking arrangements.

Currently, one such initiative, UN-Water Africa, is operational.

PHOTO CREDITS: FRONT COVER CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Anders Jgerskog, SIWI| Swiatek Wojtkowiak www.nygus.info| UNICEF/HQ07-0559/Christine Nesbitt| Christina Ritzl| Curt Carnemark / World Bank| Tran ThiHoa / World Bank| Mats Lannerstad, Sweden. INSIDE SPREAD CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Quy-Toan Do / World Bank | Curt Carnemark/ World Bank| UNICEF/HQ07-1012/Olivier Asselin| Elin Weyler, SIWI. | EU AudiovisionLibrary| Swiatek Wojtkowiak.THIS PAGE FROM TOP: WHO 211260| Frans Devrise www.flickr.com/foto_morgana| Nicoletta Forlano. This brochure was last updated in May 2012

ScopeThe scope of UN-Waters work encompasses all aspects of freshwater and

sanitation, including surface and groundwater resources and the interface

between fresh and sea water.

ObjectiveUN-Water was established to promote coherence and coordination in UNSystem initiatives that are related to UN-Waters scope of work and contribute

to the implementation of the agenda defined by the 2000 Millennium

Declaration and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Members and partnersUN-Water has 30 members from the UN System and external

partners representing various organizations and civil society.

Focus areas Integrated water resources management

Drinking-water, sanitation and health

Water scarcity

Water quality

Transboundary waters

Climate change and disaster risk management

Gender and water

Financing and valuation

Capacity building

Africa: a region for priority action

Flagship Reports World Water Development Report

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Reports

Global Analysis and Assessment on Sanitation and Drinking Water

Programmes World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

The WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP)

UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC)

The UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)

Regional UN-Water Initiatives

www.unwater.org

Documents

UNW Brochure en Webversion